Blue Before the Sea

For readers of Isabel Allende and Italo Calvino, the story of a young Sicilian man's journey to 1920s America, unfolding as an odyssey in reverse, as he is enchanted by both marvels and thrilling adventure.

In the spring of 1923, a gentle-natured twenty-year-old man boards a ship that will take him from Sicily to the United States. His name is Antonio Grillo and, though he loves his island dearly, the call of the unknown proves too strong to resist.

In his suitcase, he carries fragments of his native soil: pumice stone for lightness, sulfur for energy, and a pillowcase embroidered with the words “always be happy.” It marks the start of a journey filled with unexpected encounters and extraordinary experiences—a voyage akin to a reverse odyssey, leading him away from home in search of freedom.

Along the way, Antonio crosses paths with pirates and bandits, endures misfortune, yet has magical encounters and witnesses acts of mercy and love. Amid the whirlwind into which his life is swept during this crossing to America, he is forced to ask himself how he might remain his hopeful self and continue to trust others.

With an abundant sense of wonder at the beauty and mystery of the world, Giovanna Giordano enchants readers with an epic story about imagination as the ultimate tool for survival. Blue Before the Sea blends wisdom with subtle humor, gravity with poetry, and is imbued with a lightness that renders even the darkest moments bearable.

Translated from the Italian by Elizabeth Harris